Done and Undone
by earthtoeffy
Summary: Josh is finished with Drake—that much everyone knows. But can you really stay 'done' with someone who might very well be on their deathbed? Set during/post 'Josh is Done'. C'mon, give it a chance! Rated T for possible language in later chapters!
1. Chapter Uno

**Disclaimer: **I make no claim to own Drake & Josh, nor am I profiting from this written work in any way.

**A/N: Hey guys!**

**So this is my first time entering anything on , so I'd really appreciate it if you could give me some feedback, whether that be positive or negative. And I know there are SOOOO many Josh Is Done stories, but I just adore them! So I apologize if this seems cliché or unoriginal, this idea just came to me one night and it wouldn't go away! And yeah, I did number this chapter in Spanish. Sue me!**

**Thanks!**

**~Effy**

Josh was done with Drake, and that was his decision, but even he didn't expect such an apology coming from _him, _Drake_,_ of all people. And the way he'd stormed from the Chemistry room, sobbing? Such a thing threw a curveball toward Josh, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to catch it.

And honestly, he had kind of hoped he could.

So why did Josh refuse Mr. Rolland when asked if he'd like to speak to his ex-or-maybe-not-brother? Was he afraid to hear what Drake had to say this time, or was he worried about what he, himself, was supposed to say in response to such a thing?

Whatever the reason, it hurt Drake to hear Josh answer "no" from outside the door, even if he admittedly expected this. And it truly crushed the last shred of hope he had that maybe this whole thing would blow over, though after these two weeks he'd mostly lost that dream as well. And so he did the only thing he could think of to do; he went home.

He didn't even make an attempt not to draw attention to himself—he just walked right in the front door and closed it loudly behind him, very glad that, by the looks of it, no one was home to see him soaking wet and crying.

He immediately went up to his room, desperate to change into something that wasn't cold and wet, and, once he'd done this, he curled up on the ping pong table and cried, just like he figured any person in his situation would do (provided that said person had a ping pong table).

After about an hour, the tears subsided, leaving Drake alone with only the shuddering, tearless sobs that escaped him as he lay with his head propped up by two ping pong balls and a paddle. And, feeling slightly bored regardless of all the pain he was feeling, he began watching how one of the small, orange balls bounced when he dropped them on the table.

And this is exactly how Megan found him hours and hours later when she came to return his guitar.

"Hey, here's your guitar back," Megan said to her brother, smiling satisfactorily. She just loved seeing him get all whipped up over things.

However, her smile faltered when Drake _didn't _freak out, leaving her to wonder what his problem was. "You're not even going to ask _why _I took your guitar?" she asked.

"Why?" Drake replied dully.

"I used it to kill a spider," Megan smiled widely again, and again Drake didn't care. "Why aren't you freaking out? It's no fun if you don't freak out!"

"I'm sorry," her brother said, his voice oozing the empty pain he was feeling. "Hey," he said, getting up from the table just as his sister started toward the door. "Wanna play some ping pong?" He held up a spare paddle and ball.

"No thanks," Megan said, smiling a little. "You really don't want to put a paddle in my hand."

_Yes I do, _Drake thought sadly, though he didn't speak the words aloud. Instead, he began hitting the orange ping pong balls across the table until it left him feeling emptier than before, then, he curled back up on the table, hugging Josh's usual paddle to his chest, and allowed himself to fall asleep.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

It was nearly dinnertime when Josh finally arrived home from hanging with Craig and Eric, and he went straight to his room when he did.

It'd been a long, tiring day, and after all the commotion in Chemistry class, he was beginning to seriously doubt if he'd made his decision to kick Drake out of his life purely off of good judgment, or if he'd been a little rash to decide this. He could see very well now that, while his life w_as _admittedly 'better' without Drake, it was also uninteresting.

And he'd also never meant for his choice to affect anyone but himself, and Drake was more hurt than Josh had ever seen him before and he knew it was because of him.

So as soon as he reached home, he went straight up to their room at the end of the hall to apologize, his plan all set. However, when he arrived, there was a small complication that he knew would greatly affect this; Drake was asleep. Or at least Josh assumed he was—it was hard to be sure when he was trembling as badly as he was.

Josh approached his mostly-still figure, which was curled into a sort of ball, hugging a paddle used to play ping pong close to him. He saw that Drake's eyes were, in fact, closed and he was fast asleep, though not a very restful sleep, Josh wagered, as his shivers were more like quakes and his fear-filled face was a deathly pale.

Frowning, Josh started towards the bedroom door again, deciding that maybe this was a sign that he _shouldn't _apologize for what he did. _Maybe I did the right thing after all… _Josh thought, glancing one more time at the sleeping Drake before exiting.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Josh was greeted with the scent of freshly cooked lasagna and garlic bread, making his empty stomach growl its need for food.

Entering the kitchen, Josh heard his mom speak his name to catch his attention.

"Josh, dinner's ready, would you mind fetching Drake?" Audrey asked, desperate for the tension between her boys to end. If forcing them to speak to each other was what needed to be done, then she'd do it. Even if she felt odd for doing so.

"No can do," Josh said, pouring himself a glass of soda for dinner. "He's asleep."

This caused Audrey's eyebrows to rise in mild surprise. Drake did enjoy sleep, but he always, _always _made sure he was awake for family dinner, no matter how much he obviously hated the 'family' part. Plus, their favorite show, Canadian Idol, was on that night, and the family never missed an episode.

"Well, can you go wake him, please?" Audrey asked her son, serving plates and bringing them out to the living room.

"I can try," Josh said, a little uneasy about the idea of waking Drake when he was in such a fragile state. However, their mother knew nothing of the row (and apology) in Chemistry earlier that day. Or at least he hoped she didn't.

So he started toward the stairs, climbing them once again and entering the room where his roommate was sleeping. He approached him semi-silently and gently tried to shake him awake, though all he earned was a quiet moan and a light slap in the face while Drake rolled over.

"Drake," Josh said, finding that the sound of his voice did wonders in the past, and hopefully would now.

Drake moaned again.

"Drake," Josh repeated. "Drake, it's time for dinner. You need to wake up now."

"No' 'ungry," Drake mumbled, hugging his paddle closer to his chest. "Go 'way…" Josh sighed, defeated as he headed downstairs to tell his mother that they wouldn't be joined by Drake tonight.

Audrey didn't take this news well, her eyebrows furrowing in suspicion. "It's not like Drake to miss both a meal _and _Canadian Idol…" she mused to herself, looking worried but reluctant to try and wake her son herself.

Josh nodded his agreement, admittedly worrying though he'd never let anyone know this.

"Oh well," Audrey sighed. "Can't really decided his appetite for him, now can we?"

And so they went on without him, not giving his loss of appetite or apathy a second thought.

~/.\~

**Thanks for reading, and again, I would love some feeback!**

~Effy


	2. Chapter Dos

**A/N:**

**Hey guys!**

**So, you all have been soooo faithful when it comes to reviewing so far, and I didn't know any way to thank you apart from updating!**

**I won't ramble _a ton_ today, but I will tell you that I, from now on, plan to update every Thursday or Friday depending on how things work out), so expect updates those afternoons (I'm only posting in the morning today because I woke up early and needed something to do before work). I will try my very hardest to get another update out tomorrow afternoon, though I don't really see it happening. **

**Saturday, however, will be spent writing and watching non-stop Drake & Josh/Star Wars with my friend Justina, so I should be able to get a few chapters written before next week!**

**Sorry for rambling just like I said I wouldn't, and please keep the reviews coming!**

**(P.S. If you think the chapters are too short, please let me know and I'll work on making them longer!)**

**Thanks again!**

**~Effy**

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Drake didn't wake again for another two hours, however, when he did he found that his spot on the ping pong table was highly uncomfortable to his already achy body, and when he stood to go lie down in his bed for the night, he was hit by a wave of nausea so strong it nearly knocked him over on the spot.

Gripping the table side for support, he clutched his stomach in an attempt to avoid vomiting right then and there and began walking slowly towards the ladder to his bed. But after one step up the ladder, he felt like passing out, and, falling to the floor, he decided to sleep on the couch for the night.

He wasn't sure if he could cover the distance to the couch again, but Drake thought he should at least try. He figured Josh wouldn't be so happy if he slept in his bed, and he didn't really fancy the idea of being woken up yet again, but when he stood from the ground, he decided that it'd be better to be woken up and _not _puke than to sleep through the night and barf up the little bit of food he'd eaten that day.

So, practically crawling, Drake made his way over to Josh's bed and climbed on top of the covers, shivering, but not wanting to get on Josh's bad side more than he assumed he already had for embarrassing him in class. He allowed his head to drop onto Mr. Puff-Puff while he made himself comfortable, but by the time he'd found a position he liked, Drake no longer felt a want or need to use a pillow other than Josh's favorite. That pillow was so great that Drake almost didn't blame Josh for giving it such a horrid name.

Not even glancing at the clock, Drake shut his eyes, and within a matter of seconds, he was falling asleep, Josh's scent bringing him a sort of comfort while his actual brother was downstairs, laughing it up with his family all while Drake felt subtly like he was dying.

But it was rapidly approaching Josh's 10:00 bedtime, so he of course would be upstairs to get ready as soon as he was able to pull away from the family, which came sooner than he'd expected, given the good time they were having. _Man, _Josh thought with a smile as he finished brushing his teeth and was approaching the bedroom to change and then finally get to bed. _Drake missed out on a fun time with the family. He'll probably be so jealous. _He paused. "No he won't," Josh said aloud to himself. "He's Drake!"

Josh entered their bedroom without so much as a glance toward his bed or Drake's, figuring that he was still fast asleep on the ping pong table. It wasn't until he'd finished changing into his 'jammies' that he realized that his bed was already occupied by none other than his ex-brother and roommate, Drake Parker, for whom he suddenly felt pity as he looked at the expression he wore in his sleep; he looked upset, almost as if he'd been crying recently, and his face was still a pale color that somewhat bothered Josh.

Sighing, he made the silent decision to sleep in the guest room for the night, only because Drake was so fragile at the moment, though at the time, Josh didn't understand why.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Megan was the last one awake that night, sitting on the downstairs couch and watching Outrageous Cheerleading Accidents while everyone else slept peacefully in their beds. She wasn't tired, though she felt she ought to go to bed soon anyway since it was almost midnight. _Although, _she thought with a smug smile, _it's Friday, and Mom and Dad are leaving in the morning anyway. _But this knowledge didn't stop her from silently deciding to go get some sleep as soon as her show ended.

But just as she was getting up, the phone rang, leaving her curious as to who was calling at such a late hour. She answered, and soon heard a semi-familiar voice speak from the other end.

"Hello?" she asked, holding the receiver up to her ear.

"Megan, darling? It's Grammy." Megan tried not to groan. "I'm sorry to call so late, sweetie, but I believe I left my hairbrush in your guest bedroom, would you mind if I came over in the morning to get it?"

"Sure, no problem," Megan said, tapping her fingers on the coffee table as she wondered why Josh's grandma couldn't buy a new hairbrush.

"All right, honey, thank you! I love you!"

"Bye," Megan said, and then hung up, putting the phone in its cradle and heading toward the stairs. She climbed them hurriedly, deciding to drop by the guest room to check for Grammy's hairbrush before going to bed.

She located the brush quickly once she'd entered, but also found something she didn't expect. Her brother, Josh, was sitting on the guest bed, evidently trying to read himself to sleep again.

"What are you doing in here, boob?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and fiddling with the handle of the hairbrush.

"I think I can ask you the same question, little girl!" Josh said, looking his little sister over suspiciously. "Why do you have a hairbrush?"

"It's your Grammy's," Megan said. "She left it here last time she visited. Now answer my question."

Josh refrained from rolling his eyes. "Drake's asleep in my bed, so I decided to come sleep in here for the night. Do you have to bother me?"

"Whoa, what?" Megan asked, holding up a hand. "Firstly, why's Drake in _your _bed? He hates your bed! Secondly, why didn't you kick him out?" She would be lying to say that she wasn't the slightest bit concerned amongst her mild confusion, but she'd of course never say this aloud. Especially not to her boob of a brother.

"I don't know," Josh said, shrugging as if it was nothing, though he himself was confused. "And I guess I couldn't stand to make him move."

"I thought you were 'done' with him," Megan reminded, crossing her arms once again.

"I am, but he just looked so…" Josh searched for an adequate word to describe Drake with. "Pitiful," he said, turning his eyes from his little sister back to his book.

"Drake?" she asked with a scoff. "Pitiful?"

"Yeah, that's right," Josh said, nodding lightly. "Goodnight, Megan."

"Night, boob."

Shutting the door, Megan rolled her eyes a bit, though she couldn't help but feel both curious and concerned, so she decided to make one more stop before going to bed.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Cracking the door just enough to slide in, Megan entered Drake and Josh's room, approaching Josh's bed stealthily while looking for any sign of movement, though she quickly found it. And sure enough, Drake was asleep in Josh's bed, shaking like a leaf and looking a pale blue color in the low lighting.

Megan flipped the light switch so as to get a better look at her brother, who didn't even stir at the sudden change.

She returned her attention to Drake and instantly felt as though someone had taken a spear to her heart. He was exactly as Josh had described him; pitiful. His face looked pained and tired as he slept a far-from-restful-sleep in his brother's bed, dark eyebrows furrowed. Almost all of the color in his usually-smug face had drained, leaving him a scary pale-greenish color as if he was deathly ill. Which, Megan thought with a grimace, he might very well have been with the way he looked.

It pained her more than she would have imagined it would to see her brother who had loved her, cared for her, and been there for her in the past in such a sickly sleep that she doubted had been anything but fickle, leaving him to awake every half hour or so in a cold sweat. The thought alone made her frown deepen.

Leaning forward, Megan kissed Drake's warm cheek before turning to leave. And, glancing back one last time, she turned out the light and pulled the door shut quietly.


	3. Chapter Tres

**A/N: **

**As promised, I worked last night to try and get out another chapter for you before Thursday, and this is what I came up with!**

**Again, thank you all so much for all the reviews and please keep it up!**

**Also, if you think my chapters are too short, please let me know and I will work on making them longer!**

**Thanks so much!**

~Effy

The Parker-Nichols household was anything but serene the next morning; Walter was working his hardest to look as nice as possible for his boss, Audrey was making sure everything in the house was fit for her children while she and Walter were away this weekend, Josh was helping his father find his missing car keys, and even Megan helped out by finishing up the macaroni and cheese Audrey was fixing them for lunch.

Everyone was feeling the stress that hung heavily in the air.

Even Drake, who everyone thought to be fast asleep upstairs, felt it as he tossed and turned in an attempt to get some more rest (if you could call it that) before he was forced out of bed to say goodbye to his parents. But, alas, none came and he found himself nearly stumbling out of bed.

He made his way to the bathroom, where he quickly bolted the door shut and looked at his own reflection to see if he looked _half_ as terrible as he felt. He did. In fact, the shade of pale his tired face had assumed made him look almost sicker than he knew his was, and left him contemplating whether or not he should go downstairs. He knew his mother better than anyone, and if there was one thing that would keep her from L.A. with Walter that weekend (business trip of some sort, Drake thought), it would be one of her children falling ill.

He wondered for a long moment if she'd be willing to leave _without_ saying goodbye to her only biological son, and when he decided she wouldn't, he thought he had better get down there before she came to him. The thought made him shudder, and certainly added to the uneasy nausea that had been building in his stomach since the moment he woke that morning. _Lord, help me, _Drake silently prayed, starting toward the stairs.

He descended them slowly, both out of reluctance and just not feeling up to it, and eventually reached the bottom, only to find the entire lower story of his house a complete wreck, with family members running about and the smell of burnt macaroni in the air. And, though he silently questioned the presence of macaroni (all while trying not to throw up at the scent of food), he entered the living room to see his mother seated on the couch, trying to zip up her own flowered sundress with little success.

Deciding to help her, Drake approached Audrey from the back and, leaning over the couch, gripped the zipper between two sweaty fingers and closed the gap between either side of her dress back with one swift movement. She turned to face him, a smile on her face until she spotted his, pale and drenched in cold sweat. Her smile faltered, and she found herself brushing stray hairs from her son's ghostly white forehead as she asked him, "Are you all right, honey?"

Drake resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his mother's actions, and instead just pulled his head back so she no longer had access to his face. She frowned at this, as expected, but still nodded as she reminded herself that her son was no longer a baby and should be treated in a more adult manner.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked instead, waiting for him to shake his head no. When he didn't respond, she asked, "What's the matter, sweetie?"

"Nothing, Mom," Drake said, upset to hear how hoarse his voice was. "I'm fine, don't worry about it."

Audrey's frown deepened, but she nodded regardless and stood, heading to the kitchen to check on Megan while Drake fell back on the couch with a loud sigh of both frustration and exhaustion.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

It was a long time before Walter and Audrey were finally ready to head off, and, though they were reluctant to leave, Drake was ecstatic, since he'd hoped beyond hope that he'd be able to kick this illness out quickly and with minimal mother-henning from Audrey. Or anyone else for that matter.

They stood by the door as they said their farewells and I-love-yous, and after only a few moments of staring Drake down sadly, Audrey felt sure that there was no way her son would permit any babying or second thoughts about leaving and she was soon out the door, waving goodbye to Megan, Drake, and Josh.

When they'd gone, Josh was practically cheering his content, since they'd be alone for an entire two days with no parents and absolutely no one to boss them around. And, more importantly, it was he and Drake's turn to finally order Megan to behave, since their parents were so immune to her little prankster ways and instead knew her as a sweet little girl who loved and cared for her brothers. However, when they'd finally pulled out of the driveway, Josh noticed, there was none of the expected Mom-and-Dad-are-finally-gone celebratory pranks.

Instead, Megan was seated on the couch beside Drake—who looked even worse when now that he was awake—and they were actually, get this, _talking. _And she wasn't threatening him. Josh wondered for a moment if Megan had also caught whatever it was Drake had.

Brushing it off, Josh headed towards the kitchen for a far overdue breakfast of pancakes and bacon to celebrate their temporary freedom, even if no one seemed to be feeling the excitement but him (which seemed oddly out of character). True, he _was _'finished' with one of his two siblings, but he also had been recently feeling the pain that he knew Drake felt over the entire situation, and, though he knew he'd regret it, he'd almost forgiven his ex-brother for what he'd done. He also wasn't sure how ready to make-up he was, but making pancakes for the family never hurt anyone.

A knock at the front door was the only thing to disturb the otherwise perfect scene of the three siblings co-existing in peace for once, along with the hoarse voice of Drake saying with much reluctance, "I'll get it" in response to Megan's "that's probably Grammy".

Drake stood from his spot on the couch and staggered toward the front door, by which Grammy's hairbrush was seated.

He swung the door open and, sure enough, Josh's grandmother stood behind it with arms wide open for a hug from her step-grandson. "Drake!" Grammy exclaimed, enveloping him in a hug tight enough to crush bones. "You're burning up," she said, examining him once they had broken apart. "You don't look well either, dear."

"Yeah, well…" Drake said with a shrug. "I don't feel any better than I look."

She was frowning, though it soon turned into a smile when Josh exited the kitchen to say hello to his grandma. "Joshy!" she said and hugged him even more tightly than she had Drake, if possible.

Feeling Drake's discomfort, Megan stood and hurried to his side, dismissing him with a simple nod. Thankful for his sister's sudden regard for others' feelings, Drake took this opportunity as it presented itself and started toward the couch again. But…

"Not so fast, Mister," Grammy said, stopping Drake dead in his tracks. "Has your mother taken your temperature yet?" she asked as soon as she'd finished hugging Megan.

"No," Drake said, suppressing a scowl. "She already left. But I'm perfectly capable of taking my _own _temperature, thank you very much." And with that, he turned down the hall and into the bathroom to either get the thermometer, or puke. Whichever came sooner, he thought grimacing.

Megan smiled when Grammy laughed good-naturedly and let Drake's bitter tone slide, very grateful that she was such an understanding woman.

"It's okay, Joshy," Grammy said at Josh's look of disgust towards Drake. "He's a piece of work when he _isn't _running a fever."

This caused the two females to laugh, but Josh was not the slightest bit amused. In fact, he was suddenly quite angry with his brother, and he couldn't believe he'd thought for a moment that maybe time apart had taught Drake a lesson.

No, Drake was most certainly the same selfish boy who'd abandoned his brother on the day of his Chemistry exam. And Josh was _not _going to forgive him anytime soon.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

**A/N:**

**I hope this didn't seem too rushed. If it did, please let me know and I'll be sure to fix that in the future!**

**Again, please review and thanks so much for reading and giving feedback!**

****~Effy


	4. AN Sorry!

I know you aren't supposed to do this, but it was under what I felt were 'extreme' circumstances that I'm defying the rules by making a chapter out of Author's Notes.

So I'm very sorry, but if you wouldn't mind me taking a couple moments of your time I'd like you to read this!

You all have been so so so so so so sooooooooo good about reviewing and motivating me and it makes me feel like such a complete and utter JERK for not updating, but the truth is, I've been super duper busy. (I've recently gotten into painting, and so I've been working on my art quite a bit; I'm a singer, and currently in a small cover band with my two best friends and sister; both my best friend and dad have birthdays coming up soon, so I've been working toward getting their presents ready and wrapped in these next couple of days; I'm working at two different pre-schools on Monday and Wednesday-Friday; and, of course, the killer called SCHOOL.) I'm in eighth grade, and can only do so much!

But still, even while I've been MIA from all of the internet, you guys have still reviewed and favorited and all that stuff that I adore!

So, I'm asking you to please please please take pity on this poor, over-worked girl and wait a little bit longer for an update. I'll be missing work tomorrow for a dentist appointment and I SWEAR the entire trip there and back will be spent working on chapter four and five, since I'd really like to get two update out to make up for my slacking in that area of my life!

Again, thank you guys so much! If I could, I'd give every single one of you a Drake-Josh style hug, but since I can't, you'll have to take this virtual one…

HUG ME, BROTHER!

Thanks again(;

~Effy


	5. Chapter Cuatro

**A/N**

**Okay guys, here it is!**

**I'm making the A/N short today since I'm gonna be late for work if I don't hurry.**

**I really wanted to take the time to pay a little more attention to Megan in this one, since I feel she's kind of an underrated character because she's mean to her brothers. So I decided to show a little of both of her sides in this chapter to give you a little insight as to how _she _feels about Drake and Josh 'arguing'. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

**~Effy**

It took only a matter of moments for Megan to take off after Grammy's departure, running up the stairs and directly past the bathroom door, behind which Drake was audibly vomiting. However, it took her until she'd stopped in front of her brothers' room to realize exactly what it was that she was going to do.

She thought back with a grimace to the booby-trapping she'd done that morning with the hope that the pranking would remind her feuding brothers that there was a much larger (actually, smaller) cause for their pain than each other. But she now realized exactly what that meant.

Since she'd taken a short break from pranking (minus the use of Drake's guitar for the homicide of that spider), something else had been bothering her older brother, Drake (meaning apart from his argument with Josh and his sudden illness), and she saw it as her responsibility to figure out what and put an end to it. Because only she hurt her brothers, and she only did it out of love.

And so as soon as she'd dismantled her trap, she fished out of her pocket exactly what she needed-a minuscule camera that she'd wanted to use for a long time now.

Megan looked around the room for a long time until she finally decided on the ping pong table to play host to the camera and adjusted the tiny lens until it was satisfactory. Then, she dashed from the room with her booby-trap supplies before either of her brothers would have the chance to suspect anything.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Immediately after returning downstairs, Megan started toward the kitchen where she knew Josh would still be cooking his late breakfast for the three family members that remained present after their parents left for the convention that Walter's boss had insisted everyone in the weather program attend.

She knew that if she could get Josh to spill then she'd be able to at least _try _to clean up the mess her idiot brothers had made of themselves and each other before it got any worse. Because Lord knew that if it did get worse, the chances that Drake would survive emotionally were slim. Not to mention his physical condition which, in the moment, Megan had almost entirely forgotten about.

She seated herself at the table after getting herself a glass of juice, kicking her feet absently as she waited for her older brother to acknowledge her presence. When he didn't, she furrowed her brow and attempted another approach.

"So, you and Drake are still fighting, huh?" she said, hiding the smirk that came naturally with the knowledge that she was irking him. Josh shot her a look, though quickly returned his gaze to the bowl of pancake mix he was stirring.

"No," he said evenly, hating that she'd used the term 'fighting'. It was evident that she knew this, though.

"Oh, that's right, you're just "done" with him," she said with a nod, holding her hands up to make quotes around the word 'done'. "I remember now. And it's been what, two weeks now?" Josh gave her another momentary stare of irritation.

"Yes," he said, trying his best to focus on the food he was making, rather than the little girl sitting at the table with that smug look in her eye.

"And still you haven't apologized?" Megan asked, proud to see Josh's left eye twitch slightly. "Wow, you've never stayed angry at him this long…"

"I'm not angry," Josh said, though his tone told a different story. "I'm done with Drake. And besides, I have nothing to apologize for."

Megan nodded slowly, much representing a therapist as she processed this information. "So, _he_ hasn't apologized yet?" She knew she had him this time. She could tell just by the way Josh stood that he was extremely agitated, but also on the edge of cracking and telling her what she wanted to know on the matter.

"No, he has."

"You're just holding a grudge?"

"You know what?" Josh said angrily, putting down the bowl of mix and facing Megan with a fire in his eye that she'd never seen before. "I don't have to answer your questions, little girl! What happened between Drake and I is _our _business, not yours! So stay out of it."

And with that, the matter was closed. Megan knew she couldn't get any more information out of this brother, but it was okay. She'd already found out all she needed to know.

_One down, one to go, _she thought with a grin.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

It felt like hours that Drake had been lying there on the couch in his bedroom, far too fatigued to change the channel the TV was showing. Something about how something was made, he thought, though he couldn't really tell anymore because his eyes were now half closed with the exhaustion that tugged at his eyelids. But of course, no real rest would come even if he _could _fall asleep, and so he instead tried to force his eyes to stay open, no matter how tempting the offer that the sandman was giving him was.

Even when he heard the door open and someone entered, his eyes never left the screen that they were seemingly glued to. It wasn't until Megan spoke that he even processed that he was no longer alone. And somehow, the knowledge comforted him. And so he milked in for what it was worth, reminding himself every few seconds _I'm not alone_.

"Hi," Megan said, something about her tone forming a crease in Drake's forehead. She sounded… _worried, _or so he thought. He couldn't really think straight right now.

"Hi," Drake repeated, using almost the same voice as his sister, making him sound oddly like a parrot of some sort. The image of himself in bird form appeared in his vision, pulling the corners of his lips up into a smile that he hadn't felt in what seemed like ages.

Brow furrowed in concern for her brother, Megan spoke again. "How are you feeling?"

Drake knew that Megan wasn't one to worry—especially not about her brothers, since she was usually the one to cause them pain—so he was sure, even in his tiredness-induced confusion, that either there was something else going on that he didn't know about, or he was really something to worry about right now. He'd bet anything that it was the first, though.

"Fine," he said, keeping his guard up as best he could in his current state, sure that if he let it down for even a moment, his sister would pull something. And to be honest, he really felt bad enough right now without her little tricks.

"Oh really?" Megan asked, though not in the bossy, almost threatening way you'd expect. She wanted to find out what was going on, yes, but she also was worried about her older brother.

"That's right," Drake said. "So you can [cough] forget about playing any tricks you had planned. Because they aren't going to work." Megan and Drake were equally confused at this, in view of the fact that she played pranks on her brothers all the time, ill or well, but still Megan felt compelled to ensure that Drake knew she wasn't going to pull anything. Not now, anyway. She might love to cause her brothers pain, but it wasn't fair when one of them was hurting emotionally and physically already.

Megan leaned toward Drake a little more, reaching her hand over his pulled-up knees so that she could touch his forehead, which seemed to be impossible for anyone to do since he slapped them all away. So, with this record in mind, Megan wasn't sure why she thought it was a good idea to at least try again, but for some reason she just felt she needed to.

As expected though, Drake moved away just in time. Yes, he knew he had a fever just from the way he felt cold enough for his innards to freeze solid, yet warm enough to burn alive, but he still didn't really want anyone taking his temperature. And he wasn't sure exactly why.

But Megan was persistent. She crawled over so that her tiny body was pushed right against Drake's shins and worked to get his arms away from his face. It took some time, but eventually he stopped fighting, exhausted, and Megan pressed a cold hand to his forehead, her eyebrows drawing together with concern.

"Liar," was all she said, though she wasn't smiling triumphantly like she normally would be. "You're sick and you know it, Drake. And I'll leave you alone on one condition."

Looking at her with pleading in his eyes, Drake nodded in agreement.

"Please sleep. You look like you haven't in days." The faintest of smiles lit up Drakes face and he nodded again. Megan then leaned over and kissed his cheek gently, walking towards the door and stopping only briefly enough to rip the comforter from Josh's bed and toss it to Drake.

And, smiling, she left Drake alone, as promised.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

**Thanks for reading! Please review, if you've got a minute, and tell me what you think!**


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